WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. – An elderly Jewish man who was attacked at Palestine and Israel demonstrations in Westlake Village over the weekend died from his injuries Monday, according to authorities. 

It happened around 3 p.m. Sunday, during dueling rallies near the intersection of Westlake and Thousand Oaks boulevards. Deputies with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office were called out to the area after reports of a battery.

When they got there, they found 69-year-old Paul Kessler had fallen to the ground and was bleeding from his head. According to deputies, Kessler had been involved in “an altercation with counter-protesters.” 

Reports on social media said Kessler was holding an Israeli flag among the group of pro-Palestine demonstrators, when one demonstrator allegedly hit Kessler on the head with a megaphone. The hit allegedly caused Kessler to fall down and hit his head. Video on social media just showed Kessler on the ground holding his head after the fall.

Kessler was brought to the hospital Sunday, then died on Monday from his injuries. According to the VCSO, Kessler’s autopsy determined his cause of death to be a blunt force head injury, and the manner of death was ruled a homicide.

Deputies said that the VCSO’s Major Crimes Bureau is investigating the incident, and said that the office has not ruled out the possibility that the incident was a hate crime.

Anyone with information on the attack was asked to contact detectives at 805-384-4745.

In a statement to FOX 11 the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles said it’s “devastated” by the news, saying their “hearts are with the family of the victim.”

“Violence against our people has no place in civilized society,” the statement read. “We demand safety. We will not tolerate violence against our community. We will do everything in our power to prevent it.”